


something signficant; something i fight for

by professortennant



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 04, Tattoos, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 16:07:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14980694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/professortennant/pseuds/professortennant
Summary: On a planet that emphasizes art and expression, Jack is forced to get a tattoo that marks something significant for him; something he fights for.He keeps the Mark a secret until Samantha Carter asks to see it...





	something signficant; something i fight for

Sam, Daniel, and Teal’c wait anxiously outside the stone and straw hut, the village’s guards stationed at the entrance.

Sam huffed and fingered the trigger on her P90, ears perked for any signs of distress, any signs that the Artists of this planet weren’t doing what they said they were.

She turned fretful eyes on Daniel, demanding. “Why are they making him do this?”

Daniel shrugged, taking his glasses off and wiping at the lenses. “It’s a sign of leadership among their people. They value art and expression and the leader of any tribe must be Marked. We,” he gestured to all three of them. “Are a tribe. Therefore, our leader,” he threw a thumb over his shoulder at the hut where the Artists had led the Colonel into about thirty minutes ago. “Our leader must be marked with something that expresses our mission, our tribe.”

She nodded, already planning on dragging him to Janet when they got back to base. Who knew what kind of infections could be imparted with off-world tattoos?

 

“On Chulak, it is the mark of a great warrior to tattoo or engrave significant symbols upon one’s body, Major Carter. Is it not the same for your military?”

She snorted, eyes dragging from the hut to fix on Teal’c. “Oh, it’s a rite of passage alright. Most soldiers have at least one tattoo.”

“Carter, you been holding out on us? Hiding some ink under those BDUs?”

She turned sharply at the sound of the Colonel’s voice, eyes sweeping over his form and checking for any signs of distress. He was favoring his left shoulder, avoiding the raising and movement of his right side.

Their eyes met and an entire exchange happened in a few breaths in only the way they could.  _You okay? I’m fine. You sure? I’m positive, Carter._

Daniel hopped off his bench and slung his pack over his shoulder, eager to learn more about the custom. “Jack! The ceremony lasted a little longer than I anticipated.” He pulled his camera from his pack, raising it tentatively. “I’d love to document the Mark you were given. It’s fascinating which cultures focus on tattoos and the significance of them amongst tribal and leadership rankings and--”

“Ah!” Jack interrupted him, waving his hand around. “I swear, Danny Boy, your babble is getting as bad as Carter’s.” 

Daniel glared. “Come on, Jack. Let us see what they did to you!”

But Jack just grinned at him and shook his head. “No can do, Daniel. Head honcho over there,” he gestured behind him to the hut he just left. “Said a leader’s core Mark is private.”

Daniel hesitated, like he didn’t quite believe the line Jack was feeding him. He opened his mouth to argue further but Sam jumped in, cutting across him.

“Sir, I think we should get you back to the base. Daniel and Teal’c can hold things down here until we return for the negotiations talk tonight. But I want Janet to at least give you a tetanus booster.”

He nodded at her, agreeing with her assessment. He turned to Teal’c and Daniel, shrugging helplessly. “You heard the Major. See you boys in a few. Radios on,” he ordered.

On the way to the Stargate, he and Carter walked silently together, their strides matching step for step. He pointedly ignored the furtive glances she kept sneaking him; didn’t acknowledge the way she bit her lip to keep from asking him more.

Finally, when he couldn’t watch her plush bottom lip disappear between her teeth once more, he stopped her with a hand on her forearm with a huff.

“Spit it out, Carter. Preferably  _before_  Fraiser jams a needle in my six.”

She grinned at him, chin ducking to hide her smile. They stood there in front of the gate, face to face. He kicked his foot out and judged her foot with his boot. “Carter...”

Her eyes met his briefly before dropping down to his right shoulder where she could see a flush of red spreading beneath his open BDU vest.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Curiosity killin’ your cat, Carter?”

She shrugged, cheeks heating with embarrassment. “Never mind, sir. C’mon, I’ll dial the gate.”

“Sam, wait.” She stopped and turned back towards him. He sighed and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “If anyone has the right to see this, it’s you.”

She watched with wide eyes as he slung his P90 and pack to his left shoulder and worked at the buttons and zips of his vest and shirt before tugging the fabric aside, revealing the Mark--the tattoo he had kept hidden.

She gasped and stepped forward, hand raising without thought, fingers hovering above the thick, dark ink engraved upon his chest.

Two circles were interlinked above his heart. Around each circles, a set of numbers followed the outline, the two numbers meeting in the middle. It resembled an infinity symbol made of numbers.

Her breath caught in her throat when she realized what the numbers were.

“Our serial numbers?”

Her voice was a whisper and Jack moved forward, stepping into her touch so her fingertips pressed to the warmth of his skin above his new tattoo.

“Yeah,” he confirmed, voice gruff. Her eyes stung with tears and she looked up at him, the door to the room where they locked their hearts in creaking and cracking open.

“Jack...”

He shrugged, eyes warm and soft and open. “He said to pick something significant. He said to pick something I fight for.”

Her eyes shot to his. For a second, she felt as if every nerve ending was alight with possibility. She could push herself up onto her toes and kiss him right here, her mouth would slide so, so easily over his. She could kiss him on some planet about expression and art, her fingers on the ink of his skin, their serial numbers entwined, standing before a shimmering Stargate.

Instead, she leaned forward and pressed a careful kiss just to the left of his new tattoo, careful to avoid the fresh mark. Jack’s hand went to her hip and he exhaled with a sharp and warning, “ _Sam._ ”

She looked up at him and kissed his sternum again, needing another taste of his skin. Then, she pulled the fabric of his shirt closed, her slender fingers helping to button and zip him close, tucking away his tattoo from her visit.

“This isn’t keeping it in the room,” she said softly. “Jack, I—“

He cupped her face and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “It’s in the room, Carter,” he reassured her, voice low. His thumb swept over her cheek, the callused pad of his thumb catching on the softness of her skin. “We’re just airing it out right now. It’s getting musty in there.”

She laughed and dropped her forehead to his chest, taking in a deep steadying breath. “Okay,” she said. “Maybe we could...air it out every once in a while?”

He pressed a quick kiss to the side of her head. “Yeah, Sam. Every once in a while.”

They stayed that way for a few heartbeats before Sam stepped back and adjusted her pack and weapon.

He nodded at her and his hands clenched at his side. They were Colonel and Major, Sir and Carter, again.

“Dial it up, Carter.”

“Yes, sir.”


End file.
